Celebrating 10 years of tasty tipples, the Surrey Hills Brewery produces some of our county’s best-loved beers, with 95% of them consumed within a 15-mile radius. Owner Ross Hunter tell us more

The tenth anniversary has come a little earlier than originally planned at the Surrey Hills Brewery in Dorking.

“It was my intention to set up a brewery later in life,” says owner Ross Hunter. “But given the very demanding and physical nature of the work, I decided it would be a good idea to start earlier!

“I’ve been a lifelong beer drinker and, for me, the key is trying to work out what makes each beer particularly enjoyable. Experimentation at home with different ingredients and methods eventually yielded the beers that you see today.”

And so it was that the first barrel of Surrey Hills Brewery beer was sold on Friday May 13, 2005. Bad luck for some, but not these intrepid brewers, it seems. Having reached the finals of the CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain Competition every year since 2005, something is most definitely working.

“I am particularly proud of this as it is an indication of the consistent high quality of our beers over a long period of time,” says Ross. “Our highest ever award came in 2010 with Hammer Mild winning the Champion Mild of Britain and Bronze in the overall Champion Beer of Britain.”

Despite this success, they remain a firmly local institution with over 95% of the beer they produce consumed within 15 miles of the brewery.

• Surrey Creations is a series by local photographer, Philip Traill, exploring people in their work environment, capturing the characters and what they do in a single image. Contact Philip on philip@traillphotography.com